Introduction

• Author: by Major General Hugh R. Overholt The Judge Advocate General. U.S. Army
• Pages: 01

It gives me great pleasure to introduce this Legal Assistance Symposium issue of the Military Law Reuiew. The Army Legal Assistance Program has made great strides in recent years. This Symposium issue is one more example of how far we have come.

A common thread, that runs from my early legal assistance days at Fort Chaffee through the time I supervised a busy legal assistance office as Staff Judge Advocate at XVIII Airborne Carps. Fort Bragg, is that our soldiers and their families depend upon the Judge Advocate General's Corps for quality legal assistance. In my recent duties, conducting Article 6 inspections, I have always made it a priority to visit Legal Assistance Offices. I not only talk to the attorneys. but also like to visit with clients to get their feedback on the quality of services provided. I am constantly impressed with the morale, initiative. and dedication of our legal assistance officers. Their clients seem well-satisfied with their services.

Let me reemphasize some of the points which I addressed to staff judge advocates in Policy Letter 86-9. 11 December 1985. First, legal assistance is an important job and muat be given the recognition it deserves. Accordingly, in larger offices, the Chief, Legal Assistance, should be a field grade officer or a senior captain who has completed the Graduate Course. Policies that result in assigning only new officers to legal assistance, or which limit the duration of a tour in legal assistance, detract from our high standards for the program Similarly, it is beneficial to havea judge advocate who is a member of the local bar assigned to legal assistance. It is invaluable far legal assistance officers not licensed to practice in the jurisdiction to have the opportunity to consult with a "local" practitioner. This also creates the oppoit~. nity for participation in an expanded Court Representation Program. The locally licensed judge advocate may either represent eligible clients in local courts or sponsor other iegal assistance officers before those courts. Also, the active participation of our fine Reserve Officers further extends our ability to provide local assistance.

Military lawyers must show initiative in developing preventive law programs. Although preventive law remains a command responsibility, commanders frequently have more than enough...